Decentralisation being a Toddler of Mulago Hospital et Complex; it has to be nurtured with a lot of care in order to make it reach its target apex. for that matter the staff of the Pharmacy Department have tried their level best to see to it that though not 100; but to a greater extent; this target point is relaised.

Decentralisation being a Toddler of Mulago Hospital et Complex; it has to be nurtured with a lot of care in order to make it reach its target apex. for that matter the staff of the Pharmacy Department have tried their level best to see to it that though not 100; but to a greater extent; this target point is relaised.

Purpose: To provide an overview of morbidity and mortality in the medical wards of a teaching hospital and to generate discussions among staff members with a view to improving patient outcomes and data handling. Methods: A retrospective survey of admissions and mortalities in the medical wards of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital was undertaken from 1st January to 30th June 2006; using ward Record and Change books; and copies of death certificates. Morbidity data were assessed for two medical wards and mortalities for all medical admissions within the period under review were evaluated. Results: Health information was managed entirely manually. Data sources were quite often inaccessible or mutilated; and the utility of available data was limited by incomplete and incorrect documentation. No clinical coding of morbidities or mortalities was available. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and its complications accounted for significantly more female than male admissions (26.1and 16.2respectively; p=0.005); and for more female than male deaths (34.6and 29.6respectively; p 0.0001). Most deaths occurred between midnight and the start of the working day; with a second peak during prime working hours. Conclusions: Less than optimal health information management was apparent in the health facility studied. Mortality among the patients was highest in HIV-infected patients than other diseases. Capacity building and appropriate infrastructural development is required to improve the management of vitally important health information.

Purpose: To provide an overview of morbidity and mortality in the medical wards of a teaching hospital and to generate discussions among staff members with a view to improving patient outcomes and data handling. Methods: A retrospective survey of admissions and mortalities in the medical wards of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital was undertaken from 1st January to 30th June 2006; using ward Record and Change books; and copies of death certificates. Morbidity data were assessed for two medical wards and mortalities for all medical admissions within the period under review were evaluated. Results: Health information was managed entirely manually. Data sources were quite often inaccessible or mutilated; and the utility of available data was limited by incomplete and incorrect documentation. No clinical coding of morbidities or mortalities was available. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and its complications accounted for significantly more female than male admissions (26.1and 16.2respectively; p=0.005); and for more female than male deaths (34.6and 29.6respectively; p 0.0001). Most deaths occurred between midnight and the start of the working day; with a second peak during prime working hours. Conclusions: Less than optimal health information management was apparent in the health facility studied. Mortality among the patients was highest in HIV-infected patients than other diseases. Capacity building and appropriate infrastructural development is required to improve the management of vitally important health information.

Purpose: Hospital personnel are often colonized with resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus (SA). These strains could be transmitted to patients; complicating treatment options particularly in resource-limited areas where antimicrobial susceptibility assessment is not systematic. In view of guiding empiric treatment in such patients; we assessed antimicrobial susceptibility profile of SA isolated from the anterior nares of hospital personnel of three health institutions in Yaounde; Cameroon in a cross sectional study. We also assessed risk factors associated with the presence of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Methods: The antibiotic susceptibility profile of fifty eight SA strains isolated from hospital personnel to sixteen commonly used antibiotics was assessed using the Kirby Bauer disk diffusion method. Methicillin resistant strains were determined by the Oxacillin Minimum Inhibitory concentration technique.Results: All the isolates were resistant to penicillin; ampicillin; and amikacin. No resistance was recorded for netilmicin; vancomycin; and low for gentamicin; rifampin and cephalotin. Eight (13.8) of the isolates were found to be MRSA. We found 85of MRSA to be resistant to more than six of the tested antibiotics. No association was found between demographic variables or personal habits and nasal colonization with methicillin-resistant strains.Conclusion: A relatively high proportion of SA isolates in this study were resistant to commonly used antibiotics. This calls for regular monitoring of susceptibility patterns.

Purpose: Hospital personnel are often colonized with resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus (SA). These strains could be transmitted to patients; complicating treatment options particularly in resource-limited areas where antimicrobial susceptibility assessment is not systematic. In view of guiding empiric treatment in such patients; we assessed antimicrobial susceptibility profile of SA isolated from the anterior nares of hospital personnel of three health institutions in Yaounde; Cameroon in a cross sectional study. We also assessed risk factors associated with the presence of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Methods: The antibiotic susceptibility profile of fifty eight SA strains isolated from hospital personnel to sixteen commonly used antibiotics was assessed using the Kirby Bauer disk diffusion method. Methicillin resistant strains were determined by the Oxacillin Minimum Inhibitory concentration technique.Results: All the isolates were resistant to penicillin; ampicillin; and amikacin. No resistance was recorded for netilmicin; vancomycin; and low for gentamicin; rifampin and cephalotin. Eight (13.8) of the isolates were found to be MRSA. We found 85of MRSA to be resistant to more than six of the tested antibiotics. No association was found between demographic variables or personal habits and nasal colonization with methicillin-resistant strains.Conclusion: A relatively high proportion of SA isolates in this study were resistant to commonly used antibiotics. This calls for regular monitoring of susceptibility patterns.

Background: Malaria is a public health problem globally especially in the Sub-Saharan Africa and among the under five children and pregnant women and is associated with a lot of maternal and foetal complications. Objective: The study was on the effect of intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy on the prevalence of malaria in pregnancy and the outcome of pregnancy. Materials and Methods: In a descriptive cross-sectional study, a semi-structured questionnaire was administered to women admitted in Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital labour ward, Ado-Ekiti. About 4,200 women participated in the study and the inclusion criteria were women who were booked in the hospital, attended at least four antenatal clinic visits, and consented to the study while the exclusion criteria were those who didn't book in the hospital and failed to give their consent. Results: The study revealed that about 75% of the pregnant women studied had access to intermittent preventive treatment of malaria. Among the women attending the antenatal clinic that received sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP), about 78% of them took two doses of SP. The prevalence of clinical malaria was statistically higher in women who did not receive intermittent preventive treatment with SP during pregnancy (44.7% vs. 31.3%, P = 0.0001) and among women who had one dose of the drug instead of two doses (40.0% vs. 28.7%, P = 0.0001). There was no statistical significant difference in the mean age in years (31.53 ± 5.238 vs. 31.07 ± 4.751, P = 0.09 and the gestational age at delivery (38.76 ± 1.784 vs. 38.85 ± 1.459, P = 0.122) between the women who did not receive SP and those who had it. There was a statistical significant difference in the outcome of pregnancy among women who had Intermittent Preventive Treatment in pregnancy (IPTp) and those who did not viz.-a-viz. in the duration of labor (8.6 ± 1.491 vs. 8.7 ± 1.634, P = 0.011) and the birth weight of the babies (3.138 ± 0.402 vs. 3.263 ± 0.398, P = 0.0001).

Background: Malaria is a public health problem globally especially in the Sub-Saharan Africa and among the under five children and pregnant women and is associated with a lot of maternal and foetal complications. Objective: The study was on the effect of intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy on the prevalence of malaria in pregnancy and the outcome of pregnancy. Materials and Methods: In a descriptive cross-sectional study, a semi-structured questionnaire was administered to women admitted in Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital labour ward, Ado-Ekiti. About 4,200 women participated in the study and the inclusion criteria were women who were booked in the hospital, attended at least four antenatal clinic visits, and consented to the study while the exclusion criteria were those who didn't book in the hospital and failed to give their consent. Results: The study revealed that about 75% of the pregnant women studied had access to intermittent preventive treatment of malaria. Among the women attending the antenatal clinic that received sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP), about 78% of them took two doses of SP. The prevalence of clinical malaria was statistically higher in women who did not receive intermittent preventive treatment with SP during pregnancy (44.7% vs. 31.3%, P = 0.0001) and among women who had one dose of the drug instead of two doses (40.0% vs. 28.7%, P = 0.0001). There was no statistical significant difference in the mean age in years (31.53 ± 5.238 vs. 31.07 ± 4.751, P = 0.09 and the gestational age at delivery (38.76 ± 1.784 vs. 38.85 ± 1.459, P = 0.122) between the women who did not receive SP and those who had it. There was a statistical significant difference in the outcome of pregnancy among women who had Intermittent Preventive Treatment in pregnancy (IPTp) and those who did not viz.-a-viz. in the duration of labor (8.6 ± 1.491 vs. 8.7 ± 1.634, P = 0.011) and the birth weight of the babies (3.138 ± 0.402 vs. 3.263 ± 0.398, P = 0.0001).

BACKGROUND: Surgical Site infections are the second most frequently reported infections of all nosocomial infections among hospital patients. Among surgical patients in obstetrics, Surgical Site Infections were the most common nosocomial infections and the rate is higher in sub-Saharan Africa. There has not been a study which documented the extent of the problem in the study area; hence the objective of this study was to determine the surgical site infection rate among women having surgery for delivery in obstetrics of Jimma University Specialized Hospital (JUSH) from April 1, 2009 to March 31, 2010. METHODS: A prospective descriptive study design was conducted with the aim of determining the surgical site infection rate on all 770 women who had surgery for delivery from April 1, 2009 to March 31, 2010 in obstetric ward of the Hospital. Data on history of the patient, patient specific demographic information on potential risk factors and the occurrence of Surgical Site infections in the first 30 days following surgery were collected using pretested data collection form. In addition, relevant data were also abstracted from the operation logbook of the cases. Then data were cleaned, edited and fed to computer and analyzed using SPSS for window version 16.0. Finally Statistical test for significance was employed using chi-squared (X 2) where appropriate at 5% level of significance. RESULTS: The mean (±SD) of the subjects’ age was 26(±7) years and the majority of the women were from the rural areas (72.7%). The overall surgical site infection rate was 11.4%. Of those who had surgical site infections, 64.8% had clean-contaminated wound and 35.2% had contaminated /dirty wounds. Wound class at time of surgery has a statistically significant association with Surgical Site infections (p <0.001).The Surgical Site infections rate was similar for cesarean section and abdominal hysterectomy but higher for destructive delivery under direct vision. Majority of the operations were made for emergency Obstetric conditions (96.6%) and the Surgical Site Infections rate was two times higher compared to that of elective surgery. Chorioamnionitis, presence of meconium, large intraoperative blood loss and Perioperative blood transfusion were associated with increased severity of SSIs with p < 0.001. Absence of antenatal care follow up was also associated with increased severity of Surgical Site Infections. CONCLUSION: it has been revealed that Surgical Site Infections rates are higher than acceptable standards indicating the need for improving Antenatal care, increasing the number of skilled birth attendants at the local clinics, increasing basic and comprehensive emergency obstetric care services, applying improved surgical techniques and improving infection prevention practices to decrease infection rate to acceptable standard.

BACKGROUND: Surgical Site infections are the second most frequently reported infections of all nosocomial infections among hospital patients. Among surgical patients in obstetrics, Surgical Site Infections were the most common nosocomial infections and the rate is higher in sub-Saharan Africa. There has not been a study which documented the extent of the problem in the study area; hence the objective of this study was to determine the surgical site infection rate among women having surgery for delivery in obstetrics of Jimma University Specialized Hospital (JUSH) from April 1, 2009 to March 31, 2010. METHODS: A prospective descriptive study design was conducted with the aim of determining the surgical site infection rate on all 770 women who had surgery for delivery from April 1, 2009 to March 31, 2010 in obstetric ward of the Hospital. Data on history of the patient, patient specific demographic information on potential risk factors and the occurrence of Surgical Site infections in the first 30 days following surgery were collected using pretested data collection form. In addition, relevant data were also abstracted from the operation logbook of the cases. Then data were cleaned, edited and fed to computer and analyzed using SPSS for window version 16.0. Finally Statistical test for significance was employed using chi-squared (X 2) where appropriate at 5% level of significance. RESULTS: The mean (±SD) of the subjects’ age was 26(±7) years and the majority of the women were from the rural areas (72.7%). The overall surgical site infection rate was 11.4%. Of those who had surgical site infections, 64.8% had clean-contaminated wound and 35.2% had contaminated /dirty wounds. Wound class at time of surgery has a statistically significant association with Surgical Site infections (p <0.001).The Surgical Site infections rate was similar for cesarean section and abdominal hysterectomy but higher for destructive delivery under direct vision. Majority of the operations were made for emergency Obstetric conditions (96.6%) and the Surgical Site Infections rate was two times higher compared to that of elective surgery. Chorioamnionitis, presence of meconium, large intraoperative blood loss and Perioperative blood transfusion were associated with increased severity of SSIs with p < 0.001. Absence of antenatal care follow up was also associated with increased severity of Surgical Site Infections. CONCLUSION: it has been revealed that Surgical Site Infections rates are higher than acceptable standards indicating the need for improving Antenatal care, increasing the number of skilled birth attendants at the local clinics, increasing basic and comprehensive emergency obstetric care services, applying improved surgical techniques and improving infection prevention practices to decrease infection rate to acceptable standard.